The best Youth around, 23 Nov 2003
Trojan has finally compiled all their gems from Big Youth recorded for a variety of producers in the late 1960s-early 1970s. So the best tracks of such classic albums as Screaming target and Reggae phenomenon are present. Big Youth's incisive ghetto talk over the greatest tracks of his era remains pertinent and impressive.
This compilation has some doubles with the 3cd Natty universal dread but is double as interesting and exciting.

The DJ behind Dreadlocks Dread, Big Youth, was the first to take the serious message of early 70s roots reggae to the dancehall by chanting steadfastly religious Rasta vocals and biting social commentary over some of the finest roots records of the day. His highly original and compelling chanting style made him the most popular and most imitated DJs since U-Roy and marked him as one of the greats. This album represents much of his early work, and although his style was to strengthen over the following years, there are some stunning tunes here brilliantly reworked and produced by Big Youth. Burning Spear's seminal "Marcus Garvey" and Yabby You's "Weakheart Drop" provide the best backdrops for his style and the result is a superb insight into the development of one of the greatest DJs of all time. --Duncan Thomson

The best Youth around, 23 Nov 2003
Trojan has finally compiled all their gems from Big Youth recorded for a variety of producers in the late 1960s-early 1970s. So the best tracks of such classic albums as Screaming target and Reggae phenomenon are present. Big Youth's incisive ghetto talk over the greatest tracks of his era remains pertinent and impressive.
This compilation has some doubles with the 3cd Natty universal dread but is double as interesting and exciting.

impressive but incomplete Big Youth, 27 Oct 2001
The greatest ghetto-dj Big Youth deserves a 3cd compilation but this one with his self-productions lacks a number of classics to be it. What there is does give us many great tracks but a few expandables one notably where Big Youth reverts to plain singing. So as a double cd this compilation would have been better and less expensive.

excellent introduction to 6 years of big youth, 11 Apr 2001
For those that may only know the superb 'screaming target'lp from all those years ago,the blood and fire label now bring you 41 tracks on 3 cds ranging over 6 years of a pretty incredible singer/toaster.Included are the great Battle of the Giants, part 1 and 2, with U-Roy, a snatch of Gregory Isaacs, and two vocals from Leroy Smart,as well as masses of others that you would have to spend a fortune on trying to accumulate on the original 7 or 12 inch singles.Big Youth toasts beautifully over those glorious Studio 1 tunes,(Love Me Forever,Only a Smile,) and even over the Abyssinians' Satta Massa Gana to great effect. The accompanying booklet has a very worthwhile 11 page article on the jamaican deejay in reggae and then a further 8 pages giving details behind each track and which rhythm big youth is riding over..a worthwhile addition to your collection.